Velocipede circa 1869 3504-74

Velocipede circa 1869

At the 1867 Paris Exhibition, the French firm of Michaux got a lot of publicity for bringing out the first commercially-viable version of a two-wheeled, human-powered bicycle: the Velocipede. While they were not the first to do this, Michaux was the first to develop and perfect the design. When it was demonstrated at the Paris Exhibition, the Velocipede brought worldwide attention to the concept of cycling and sparked a craze of experimentation that would last into the 1870s. It soon earned its nickname “boneshaker” because of the uncomfortable ride due to the wooden wheels with metal rims. Michaux’s examples were widely copied by local craftsmen in various countries and it’s often impossible to determine the exact manufacturer of a boneshaker.
The British-made specimen we present here is in very solid and complete condition, with original wheels, wheel rims and saddle pan. The brake is a steel lever that is pushed against the steel rim of the rear wheel. The braking lever is connected by a string to the handlebar and is activated by twisting the handlebar to shorten the string.
The machine has square-section solid frame and solid forks and the saddle is mounted on a leaf spring. The ca. 30-inch rear wheel has fourteen spokes, the ca. 35-inch front wheel has sixteen. Sticking out over the front wheel are the “hock rests”, meant to carry the rider’s lower legs and get them out of the way of the fast-turning pedals when going quickly downhill. Interesting details are the brass oilers on the front wheel hub and the brass pedals with acorn shape balancing weights underneath.